Typographical machine



E. M. GOODBODY TYPOGRAPHICAL MACHINE Filed June. 21, 1922 ATTORN EY Patented July 22, 1924.

i S ATES PATENT i OF FICE."

EDMUND IVI. GOODBODY, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO INTERTYPE CORPORATION, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

TYPOGRAPHICAL lfiACHINE.

Application filed June 21, 1922. Serial No. 569,778.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, EDMUND M. Goomsonr, a citizen of the United States, residing at Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Typographical Mation.

The present invention relates to improvements in typographical machines and more especially to those of the class shown and described generally in U. S. Letters'Pa-tents Nos. 436,532 granted September 16, 1890, and 557,000 granted March 24, 1896, wherein a font of matrices which arestored in a magazine are released by actuation of the respective keys of a keyboard and descend by gravity through appropriate delivery channels onto a constantly running downwardly inclined delivery belt which passes beneath the difierent delivery channels, the belt operating to deliver the matrices to an intermediate assembling mechanism, which latter delivers the matrices to the assembling point at the entrance to assembling means, usually a socalled assembling elevator, where the matrices are assembled into a line preparatory to the casting of a type bar orslug therefrom.

In machines of this class as commercially built, the matrices are assembled to form a line with the matrices therein standing in upright or vertical position, whereas the delivery belt is inclined downwardly toward the point at which the line is assembled, in consequence of which the matrices must be diverted from the downwardly inclined path which they follow while lying flatwise on the delivery belt, to the upright position for assembly, and this diversion of the matrices takes place while the latter are passing from the delivery belt to the assemblingv point, a continuously revolving toothed member of so-called star wheel being located opposite to the entrance to the assembling elevator and functioning to stack the matrices successively into the line. The space between the matrix discharge end of the delivery belt and the star wheel is usually termed the neutral zone or field and it is at this point that the matrices must be diverted from the inclinedpath imparted to them by the belt, to the vertical or upright position required for assembly of the matrices into the line. Heretofore the matrices have been chines, of which the following is a specificarequired to traverse this neutral zone by their own momentum and while they are be- 7 ing diverted from the inclined to the upright or vertical position, and in consequence, owing to rapid operation ofthe keyboard or other causes, disturbances frequently occur at this neutral zone which result in trans-- posing of matrices in the line, jamming or' clogging ofthe matrices at the star wheel or the entrance to the assembling elevator, or other faulty operation occurs which interferes with the regularity of, composition and causes delay in the operation and errors in the product of the machine. The object of the present invention isto overcome these defects which have been 7 found to exist in machines of this class as heretofore constructed, thus insuring regularity in compositionand avoidingvdelaysin operation and errors in the product of the machine. According to the present invention, the so-called neutral zone between thematrix delivery belt and the star wheel is eliminated or dispensed with, there being no, appreciable gap between the delivery end of the belt and the star wheel, and a tensioned, chute plate is located opposite to thematrixengaging surface of the travelling belt, the chute plate embodying a toe which is imme-v diately below or beyond the point where the delivery belt first bends downwardly over its lower pulley, this toe of thechute plate be? ing thus positioned. to engage the foot or leading edge of each matrix as it reaches the toe and to thusdeflect the matrix from its in, clined position to or toward an upright position, so that the matrix will be conducted directly and with certainty into a position in front of the star wheel, thus insuring its proper assembly into the line. The, tension of the chute plate operating in conjunction with the continuously travelling matrixengaging surface of the belt which passes opposite to the toe, insures the delivery of the matrices successively and in proper order from the delivery belt, notwithstanding that two or more matrices delivered in rapid succession from adjacent delivery channels of the magazine may be deposited in overlapping relation onto the belt, as the portion of thetravelling belt opposite to the toe of the chute plate will draw the foremost matrix yieldingly pressed against the travelling surface of the belt by the chute plate forward, thereby disengaging it from the sembling'mechanism'of a typographical machine constructed inaccordance with the present invention, and Y Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the driving'means for the working parts of "the "assembling mechanism.

The present invention is particularly applicable *totypographical machines of the class shown" and described generally in the patents above referred to, l the invention being shown applied 'to a machine of that class in "the present instance, wherein 1 represents the "assembling elevator which ma-y be'o'f the usual construction having a channel'openat its right-hand end in Figare 1*toisuccessivly receive matrices M and toisuppo'rtthese matrices to form a line, a line being'sl own in course of assembly in Figure 1. The matrices which are stored in the respective channels of a magazine are'released for deliveryby actuation of the respective keys of a keyboard, the construction'and operation of which is well understood in the art, the released matrices descending'byjgravity through channels formed between guides 2. The matric s thus delivered from the magazine are deposited onto a continuously travelling belt 3 which extends past the lower or matrix delivery endsj'o'f'the guides 2 and is inclined downwardiy toward the assembling elevator. The'inatri'ces when received by the belt lie ina fiatwise position thereon, as is shown in Figures 1 and 2, the foot or lower end oi the. matrix being foremost. The belt, which isendless,passes at its upper end over an idler pulley which isnot shown, but which may be of the usual construction, and the lower end of the'belt passes around a driving pulley 4. According to the present inveir tion, the pulley ijis of smaller diameter than that u'sually employed in machines or thisclassand this pulley also is located in c'l'oseproximityto the entrance to the sembling elevator 1, thus bringing the matrix discharging-end of the belt into closer relation to the assembling elevator'and also. giving the belt a steeper incline than that heretofore usually employed. Between the assembling elevator 1 and the belt pulley 4 is mounted a toothed member proximity to the surface of the belt which is on the periphery of :the pulley a and immediately above the star wheel, so that it bridges the slight gap between the belt and the star wheel and thus prevents catching of a matrix which might be delivered in'a faulty way from the belt in the crevice between the belt and the adjacent side ofthe star wheel.

Any suitable means may be provided for 7 driving the belt 3 and the star wheel 5 continuously and at the appropriate speeds. As shown, a pulley '7 is mounted on the pivot 8 and is driven continuously by a belt .9, which latter may be driven continuously from any constantly revolving part of the machine, as-is usual. The pulley 7 operates through gears 10 and 11 to drive a gear 12, which latter is fixed to the shaft 13 of the belt-driving pulley 4, whereby the latter receives its continuous motion, and other gears leiand 15 operate to drive a gear'16, the latter being fixed to the shaft on-which the star wheel 5 is mounted, whereby the latter is driven continuously and in the same direction as the pulley 4.

The present invention provides a tensioned chute plate having a toe located opposite to the matrix engaging surface of the belt 3 at a point below orbeyond the point X, at which the belt 3 first bends downwardly around the pulley i, the toe of the chute plate functioning to engage and deflect the matrices in course of delivery by the'belt 8 from their inclined position to or toward an upright'position, whereby the matrices are conducted directly toward a position in front of the star wheel,.so that they will be correctly stacked in the line in course of assembly in the assembling elevator. This chute plate, by'reason of the yielding pressure which it exerts, will not only accommodate itself to thepassage of matrices having different body thicknesses, but will also cause 'separation'and delivery in proper order of'overlapping matrices which may reach the chute plate,the latter in such case exerting a yielding pressure upon the foremost overlapping matrix that will cause the travelling belt, which is opposite to the toe of the chute plate and which is in engagement with this matrix, to draw the same for- IOU mosses wardly thereby separating it from the following matrix which it overlaps, thus avoidingjamming of the matrices and also transposing of the matrices in the line. Preferably and as shown, the chute plate, designated 17, is pivoted at 18 to a relatively fixed part of the machine and has atoe 19 at or toward its lower end, this toe being located opposite to the belt 3 at a point adjacent to or preferably slightly beyond the point X, at which the belt 3 first bends over the pulley 1. The chute plate has an extension 20 to which a tension spring 21 is attached, this spring acting to yieldingly force the toe 19 of the chute plate toward the surface of the belt 3. A pin or other stop 22 may be provided to co-operate with the ex tension 20 on the chute plate and thus limit the movement of the chute plate under the action of the spring 21, so that the toe 19 will not bear or ride directly on the belt 3 while no matrices are passing the chute plate.

The operation of matrix assembling mechanism constructed in accordance with the present invention, as hereinbefore described, is as follows: Assuming that the belt 3 and the star wheel 5 are being driven continuously, the matrices released from the magazine by operation of the keyboard in the usual way drop through the channels between the guides 2 onto the upper stretch of the travelling belt 3, these matrices lying flatwise on the upper surface of the belt with their feetor lower ends directed forwardly and the matrices will travel with the belt in a downwardly and forwardly inclined direction. As each matrix reaches the point X at which the upper stretch of the belt 3 first bends around the pulley 4, the matrix, owing to its inclined position and the momentum which it has gained while travelling in an inclined path with the upper stretch of the belt 3, will begin to discharge from the belt, the matrix having a tendency to continue its movement in the inclined direction while the belt bends around the pulley At this moment the foot or leading edge of the matrix strikes the toe 19 of the chute plate. lVhile the chute plate is under the tension of the spring 21, which enables the chute plate to accommodate itself to the passage of matrices having different body thicknesses, yet the tension on the chute plate is sufficient to hold the toe 19 thereof in a position below the plane of the top stretch. of the belt 3 in opposition to the impulse received by it from the passing matrix, so that the foot or leading edge of this matrix will be diverted from its inclined path downwardly and as the body of this matrix passes the toe of the chute plate the matrix will be deflected into or toward an upright or vertical position. During the passage of the matrix past the toe of the chute plate the matrix remains in contact with the surface of the belt 3, so that the latter continues to cause or control the advance of the matrix, and asthe matrix continues to advance it assumes an upright or vertical position in frontof the star wheel wheel 5, and the latter then acts in the usual way on this matrix to stack it in the line in course of formation in the assembling elevator 1. The bridge 6 which is relatively short is in a position to catch the foot or leading edge of any matrix which may have a tendency to deposit behind the star wheel, the bridge in such case directing the matrix into its proper position in front of the star wheel. If two matrices should be delivered almost or practically simultaneously onto the beltfrom adjacent matrix delivery channels, the foremost of such matrices would be likely to overlap the following matrix. When the foremost of such overlapping matrices reach the chute plate, the foot or leading edge of the foremost matrix will first engage the toe 19 and this toe will yield ingly press this part of the leading matrix into engagement with the portion of the travelling belt opposite to the toe, in consequence of which the belt will pull the leading matrix forward and thus insure its delivery to the star wheel in advance of the delivery of the following matrix, which it overlapped, the. star wheel acting to introduce the leading matrix into the line before the following matrix reaches the star wheel,

By eliminating the gap or neutral zone between the belt and the star wheel, and providing a chute plate, the operative toe of which is located below or beyond the point where the belt first bends over its lower pulley and directly opposite to a portion of the face of the travelling belt, the mat rices are mechanically controlled while they are being diverted and conducted from the belt to the assembling point, thereby insuring the propery delivery of the matrices to the assembling point, and furthermore, should matrices in overlapping relation reach the chute plate, which is likely to occur when the keyboard is operated rapidly, the foreinose matrix will be yieldingly pressed by the toe of the chute plate against the travelling belt and hence the foremost matrix will be drawn ahead and thereby separated from the following matrix and it will be delivered to the assembling point in advance of the following matrix which it had overlapped, in consequence of which transposing of matrices in the line is avoided and also jamming or clogging of the matrices at the chute plate or the essembling point is prevented. The relative arrangement of the lower belt pulley, star wheel and chute plate, according to the present invention, also enables the belt to be placed at a steeper inclinethan has heretofore been possibfle and this is advantageous as it facilitates the delivery of the matrices from the delivery channels of the magazine to the asmb ing P n I claim as my invention 1. In a typographical machine of the class wherein matrices are delivered from a magazine and assembled in a line, the combination of assembling means in which the matrices are assembled in a line, a revoluble toothed member for stacking the matrices in a line, a matrix delivery belt inclined downwardly toward the assembling point and arranged to receive .the matriees delivered fronithe magazine, a pulley over which said belt passes, said pulley being located immediately adjacent to said toothed memher, and a'chute plate'having atoe located opposite to the portionof the travelling belt beyond the point at which the belt first bends over said pulley and operative to divert the leading ends of the matrices irom the inclined position which they occupied while travelling with the belt toward an upright position and tensioned to press the matrices While passing the toe into contact with the travelling surface of the belt opposite to the toe.

iisoasae 2. In a typographical machine of where n matrlcesare delivered lirom a magazine and assembled in fiatw se relation in a line by a star wheel, the combination of an inclined travelling belt arranged to receive the matrices delivered from'the niagazine,

a driving pulley .over which the beltpasses, said pulley being located contiguous' to the star wheel, and a ,tensioned diverting plate located below the point at which said belt first bends over said .pulley and opposite to the travelling surface of the belt, said plate being operative to divert (the matrices as they are delivered from their inclined po ED Yl ND M. eoonnonv.

Witnesses:

VALFRIED A. Yoone,

W. "S. SOUDDE theclass a: 

